As can be seen from the fact that well known herb medicines such as ginseng, a bracket fungus of the genus Fomes and, the like contain organic germanium, recently, the use of germanium has been noted in medical treatment.
Usually, organic germanium is administered orally. On the other hand, inorganic germanium is locally applied to the skin in the form of a magnetic material for medical treatment by bringing it into contact with an affected spot of the skin and the like. Although these germanium materials manifest analgetic and antiphlogistic effects such as therapeutic effect on stiff shoulders, lumbago and muscular ache, its mechanism has not yet been clarified.
However, there is an opinion that, when germanium is applied to a diseased part, it removes an abnormal electric potential of the human body by electron interchange to bring the body back to the normal electric potential because:
(1) germanium is apt to be positively charged due to escape of the peripheral electron (i.e., germanium has a strong electrophilic properties); and
(2) a diseased part or a body part with stiffness or pain generally has an increased electron potential.
As the conventional technique for bringing the above inorganic germanium into contact with the skin, Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 117187/1979 discloses germanium which is a metallic mass in the form of a substantially circular small disk and is brought into contact with the skin by pressing it against the skin with a plaster or the like. In this material for medical treatment, germanium is formed in a mass to concentrate its stimulation on an affected spot of the skin.
However, when the material is applied to the skin over a long period of time, a depressed mark is left on the skin, or a pain is felt by pressing it against the skin. Further, since a contact area of the skin is diminished in order to concentrate stimulation, it is difficult for laymen to apply the material to an affected spot, exactly and satisfactorily. Furthermore, in the above conventional technique, the fundamental effect on the human body is limited to the electrical activity of germanium alone and, therefore, its therapeutic effect is naturally limited.
On the other hand, some ceramics irradiate far infrared rays by absorption of heat energy, when they are heated, and it has been known that, when the human body is exposed to such far infrared rays, they manifest various effects such as rise in deep subcutaneous temperature, angiotelectasia, enhancement of blook circulation and metabolism, mitigation of sensory nerves, regulation of autonomic nerves and the like.
The present inventors have sought such a far infrared ray irradiating ceramic, and have found that, when the ceramic is used together with germanium, effective skin contact medical treatment can be achieved due to synergism of activities of germanium and the ceramic and, when a material for skin contact medical treatment is in the form of a sheet, various advantages can be otained.
Japanese Patent Laid Open Publication No. 180979/1987 discloses a heating element of a warmer for warming the human body to enhance metabolism thereof which is a sintered molded article of a mixture of a far infrared ray irradiating ceramic, an oxide of a specific metal such as iron, manganese, chromium or the like, and metallic germanium or germanium oxide. However, this heating element is used by heating with a nichrome wire heater or the like and is completely different from a sheet material for skin contact medical treatment.